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Case Study

Microquarries

In March 2011, as the second of a series of planned “study visits”, CPRE Somerset members met with Jim and Jean White, owners of Capton Sandstone Quarry.  The group discussed the viability of small-scale quarries and the use of local stone in building projects to conserve landscape character.

 

Capton Sandstone Quarry is most definitely a “microquarry”.  Some CPRE members were amazed to see how small this operation really is – with just three diggers working in an area less than half an acre.   The stone is extracted solely by these diggers – explosives are never used at Capton.

 

Capton Quarry produces Permo-Triassic Red Sandstone, the beautiful, soft, warm red stone that can be seen in villages such as Stogumber, Milverton, Combe Florey and many others. Capton Quarry is the only commercial quarry supplying this type of stone and fulfils an important role in maintaining the character of West Somerset and Taunton Deane.

Somerset County Council have issued a licence to extract no more than 1500 tonnes per year and this licence runs up to 2028.  Chapter 8 of the Minerals Local Plan (Building Stone Extraction) (currently under review) encourages the use of local stone in order to maintain the distinctive setting of the County.  It also states that building stone quarries have little difficulty in meeting the criteria for sustainable mineral development because of their small scale and methods of working.

   

This quarry is operated solely by Mr & Mrs White and their son - though there are more employees on the stone processing plant back at the farmstead.  Here the rough stone is cut to produce Random Split Faced Stone and sawn to produce Quoins, Window Heads and Cills and other specialist stone features

 

CPRE Members were supportive of the essential need for microquarries where these satisfied a local demand but were keen that there should be limits to stop quarries becoming too large. Disturbance caused by large lorries was seen as an issue.

 

Many thanks to the White Family for taking the time to show  us around.

 

Links

· Somerset Building Stones Paper  - Issues Consultation for the Minerals Core Strategy – Somerset County Council  - http://www.somerset.gov.uk/irj/public/services/directory/service?rid=/guid/b0bcbc12-1bd1-2c10-2681-d4120b79c72d

 

· www.captonquarry.talktalk.net